The present disclosure relates generally to actuators (e.g., horizontal stabilizer actuators for selectively controlling the operative position of aircraft horizontal stabilizers), and more specifically, to a locking mechanism intended to lock an actuator upon failure of a primary load path.
Modern aircraft typically utilize horizontal stabilizers located at the tail section of the fuselage or the rudder section that are pivotally supported relative to the airplane fuselage to “trim” the aircraft during flight by selective adjustment by the operator or pilot from an internal control unit or autonomously by a flight computer. This involves adjusting the position of the horizontal stabilizer by a stabilizer actuator to accommodate different load distributions within the aircraft and different atmospheric conditions such as wind, rain, snow, etc. In this regard, the horizontal stabilizer is traditionally pivotally connected to the rudder section or tail section of the fuselage at a point generally midway along its length.